Fiberboard cutout easel



June 18, 1940. c. 1. BELLEISLE FIBERBOARD CUTOUT EASEL Filed March 7, 1939 IMNI ll 2 32 INVENTOR, Courtlandt LBeHe isle.

B ATTQRNEY,

Patented June 18, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in easels which are cut from a single sheet of fiberboard, pasteboard, cardboard, or the like; and has for an object to provide a serviceable and convenient support for pictures, cards, sheet music, manuscript and small books, which costs little and may be folded in compact space when not in use.

Other objects of my invention the description proceeds.

I attain these and other objects of my invention with the device illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, which constitutes a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a piece of fiberboard properly cut for adjusting to form an easel, Fig. 2 is an end elevation of an easel formed by adjusting and engaging the movable parts made by cutting said fiberboard as indicated in Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is the rear elevation view of Fig. 2 one-half of which is broken away on the line H.

Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several views. Certain parts are broken away to show other parts hidden thereby.

With more particular reference to designated parts: Of a rectangular piece of fiberboard the part 4 is reserved for the back-board of the easel. The horizontal line 5-5 is cut entirely through the thickness of the board as also are the perpendicular lines 6-6 and 1-! extending at right angles downward from the ends of the line 5-5. The broken line 8-8 joins the lower ends of the lines 6-6 and 1-1 and on this line a cut is made about one-half through the thickness of the board. The notches 30, 38 are made by removing narrow pieces of the board from the line 5-5 downward.

will appear as Horizontal line 9-9 is cut through the board as is the line 22-22 at right angles with the center thereof extended downward.

From the bottom edge of the fiberboard the lines 23-23 and 24-24 are inclined upward to meet in the transverse center of the board and on these lines cuts are made through the board, removing a triangular piece from said bottom edge. The broken lines Ill-l8 and Il-Il extend downward at right angles from the ends of the line 9-9, and the broken lines Ill -l0 and H -ll extend upward from the bottom edge of the board in line with said lines Ill-l0 and lI-Il but not to the lower ends thereof. Cuts about one-half through the board are made on the said broken lines.

The solid lines I2 andl3 extend horizontally toward the left from the separated ends of the broken lines vl I-ll and Il -l l The short solid line l8 extends upward from the outer end of the line l2 and the solid curved lines It and It join the outer ends of the lines l3 and I4 providing the foot shape 84*. The solid lines H and I8 extend toward the right from the separated ends of the broken lines Ifl-l ii and lt -lil On the outer end of the line H at right angles therewith the short line l8 extends. upward. The solid line curves 28 and 2| join the outer ends of the lines I9 and I8 providing the foot shape 35". The short solid lines 25-25 and 21-21 extend downward diagonally toward each other from the line 9-9 and the short broken lines 26-25 and 28-28 extend downward diagonally from each other from the line 9-9 to join the lower ends of said solid lines 25-25 and 2'l-2'l.

As stated, cuts are made entirely through the thickness of the fiberboard on said solid lines while cuts about one-half through the board are made on all of said broken lines, all of which appear on the front side of the board 4.

.Then it is clear that a brace board 3! may be turned backward on the hinge at line 8-8 while the bottom boards 32, 33 may be turned backward on the hinges ll-II, Il -H and ill-l8, I0 Ill to provide the base at 32, 33 shown in Figs. 2 and 3, while the brackets 34, 35 extend forward from the front of the board 4 which inclines to the rear owing to the removal of the parts of the board 4 below the lines 23 and 24.

In turning the brace board 3! backward the notches 30, 30 are engaged with the upper edges of the base boards 32 and 33 and the stop flaps 32* and 33 are turned on the hinges 28-28 and 26-26 respectively to the positions shown with. respect to said 32 in Figs. 2 and 3. As thus engaged and fastened in place the easel is securely set up.

When desired, a narrow strip of the fiberboard may be placed across the brackets 34, 85. The feet 34 and 35 extended upward from the outer ends of the said brackets serve to prevent sheets placed on the easel from slipping from the brackets and also aid in retaining the pages of a book placed thereon in open relation.

The easel may be again folded in flat shape by placing the stop flaps 32 and 33 in the planes of the base boards 32 and 83, turning the brace board 3! upward on its hinge 8-8 till it is in the plane of the frame 4 at 3H and then turning the base boards 32 and 33 on their hinges back to the plane of the frame 4, when the brackets 34 and 35 will again occupy their places in the plane of said frame, one of which is shown at 34* in Fig. 3.

If the easel is large enough to make folding of the same desirable, the central hinge shown in Fig. 1 is made by cutting one-half through the thickness of the board on the broken line 29-439, when the two halves of the flattened easel may be folded to lie close together.

Having thus disclosed my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A one-piece, easel-shape structure including, a back board, a rectangular brace board hinged on a horizontal line adjacent the transverse center of said back board disposed rearwardly, diagonally downwardly from said hinge having deep lateral notches in its outer longitudinal edge near the ends thereof, two foot boards hinged on lines on said back board from the bottom edge thereof at right angles with said brace board hinge near the ends of said back board extended rearwardly from said back board having upwardly inclined bottom edges and top edges engaged in said brace board notches, diagonally hinged stop flaps on the upper edges of said foot boards disposed to bear on the outer surface of said brace board and retain said brace board engaged with said foot boards, and a foot-shape bracket on the hinge end of each of said foot boards in the plane thereof extended forward from said back board.

COUR'I'LANDT I. BELLEISLE. 

